


Angel Eyes, Angel Hair, Angel Everywhere

by dekusjordans



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Gift Exchange, I don't know how reform school works, Reform School, Short & Sweet, This is my take on Ash Shorter and the Angel Christmas Card
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 10:52:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16173596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dekusjordans/pseuds/dekusjordans
Summary: Ash Lynx spends his first Christmas at Reform School. He thinks nothing of it until Shorter Wong makes it a holiday he doesn't feel so indifferent about anymore.





	Angel Eyes, Angel Hair, Angel Everywhere

**Author's Note:**

> I am an anime watcher who couldn't help and spoil the whole storyline for myself (curse my curiosity). I haven't read the manga but I'm aware of what takes place that hasn't yet happened in the anime, including Angel Eyes. I haven't read Angel Eyes so this is my take on it. Nothing in this fic is accurate in the story and if it is, it is completely coincidental, but I honestly doubt there is.
> 
> Considering Angel Eye's takes place in the 1980's, this is pretty modern like the Anime so it has no correlation to the Manga century wise. I read a youtube comment about how Ash and Shorter met in reform school (which are juvenile correctional centres now and little actually exist now) and I couldn't find any information on how those worked so the story is in a juvenile institution kind of like a private school(?). Again, nothing is accurate in this besides the fact Shorter said Ash reminds him of the angel on his Christmas card lmao. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy, happy reading!

Ash wasn't fond of Christmas.

It's not that he had a personal grudge or reasonable opinion towards it. It's just the jolly spirit of joy and cheer didn't jolt through him like it had others around this time. He felt like the weather; bitter and icy cold. 

Today the boys' choir were in the music room, the instructor waving her hand as it guided them easily through the carols. They would go out and sing these songs tonight and peoples hearts would thaw and fill with warmth. However, Ash wouldn't let himself be fooled.

Joining anything here meant a bit of freedom in one way or another, no one joined these clubs with the intentions or gaining money for funds, charity, or from the goodness from their hearts. They were greedy and would shamelessly lick up any ounce of freedom, a way to get off the grounds of this hell hole for a couple hours out of a week or month.

Ash ignored them, pulling at the scratchy grey uniform sweater he wore over a white dress shirt. He continued to pass the room and arrived at the commons and went towards the tables, stuffing his hands into his khaki pants

As much as Ash didn't feel any way towards Christmas, he still received the benefits from it. Last year he got a couple of new sneakers along with a new phone and headphones. He took the gifts from Dino gingerly like he did all his presents, storing them away until he caved and decided to use them. 

He hoped he received something this year. It might not be anything extravagant like the last couple of years, but he was sufficient with anything. Before he landed here, he believed he was good enough and complied to everything asked of him to still get something besides his circumstances. 

Ash sat at one of the tables, chattering was like background noise while he watched everyone crowd the common area. His leg shook a little in a tick, his jade eyes gazing at the man who checked names off on a clipboard before handing out mail.

They met up here twice a month, at the beginning and at the end, to receive mail they would get from home. Ash has only been here for about five months and has tallied up two things from home: one letter from Alex telling him how things were going with his gang and one letter from Dino reminding him of why he was there and the procedures he should take to be released in a year or two. 

"Ash Gozline?" the man called while he rolled a trolley cart towards him. He rose his hand and got a brown rectangular box set before him.

Ash's heart soared at mysterious delivery, it seems like no matter how badly he messes things up, he'll always be in Dino's good favour. 

With hesitant hands, he tore the brown wrapping off of the gift and left it astray to the right of him before moving to lift up the white box covering the gift. Ash took up the expensive looking sneaker, rotating them in his hands. Not too long ago he wrote to Dino about his lack of footwear and how the loafers he wore made him feel vulnerable while his vans where damn near battered. 

The shoe was Balenciaga Stretch-Knit High Tops, a raven black colour, nothing too flashy for a designer shoe. He'd figured he'd store these under his bed for a few weeks to continue his boycott on not wearing or using gifts that Dino buys him for a while until absolutely needed, but they'll get snatched up the moment one of the older boys ramshackle his room again. 

Ash began to toe-off his loafers so he could replace them with the Balenciaga's when a chair across from him squeaked. His eyes shot up, his body moving to bring the box closer to his possession, like hell he'd let someone steal these, until he met eyes with the boy who took a seat.

"Hey, Ash," he greeted him brightly, holding something glittery to his chest.

"Oh, hi, Shorter," Ash responded as civilised as he could.

Since he came here, Ash stayed to himself in order to not become an easy target. Being a boy with fair hair and green eyes was hard enough, add being Dino's favourite pet to that and everyone is on your ass. However, he made an exception to Shorter Wong. He was a tan Chinese boy with jet black hair that fell sloppily into his eyes. The first time he saw him it wasn't like that, it was shaved into a fade five months ago, Shorter explained it was because his hair was dyed an algae green and it went against policies so he had to cut it all off.

Shorter Wong was really nice to Ash despite how others perceived him. Shorter treated Ash like another fourteen years old and not as an heir to a mafia, a threat, or a boy forced into prostitution. He was kind to Ash and even shared the bags of snacks his sister, Nadia, sent him. Ash wouldn't say it was a stretch to call him his friend.

Shorter seemed to have returned from his schooling hours, sporting a dress shirt like his own and his sweater tied around his waist. The glitter on the item he was holding sparkled in the deem lights of the common room.

"My sister sent me a Christmas card!" Shorter beamed, thruster the card away from his chest and into Ash's vision. 

Ash has never seen someone so happy to receive a Christmas card. They bent easily and nothing written in them was ever genuine, just some generic sentences made by the creators with signatures by the gifter and a few words of their own. Shorter opened the card and stared at the inside with so much interest Ash didn't have the heart to tell him his bitter opinion of the holiday cards.

"What did you get?" Shorter asked now, peering over the small card to view the shoe box. Ash inched it away from him, feeling a bit guilty to not be thrilled to receive a pair of one thousand dollars shoes when Shorter treated a measly piece of cardboard like it was the Balenciaga's.

"Oh, nothing serious," he gave with a small smile, closing the box. 

Shorter shrugged, returning his gaze to the glittery card again. "You know," Shorter started, looking at Ash and then the card on repeat a few times. "The angel on the front of the card reminds me of you."

Ash snorted. He? Reminding someone of an angel? That was the first. People saw him as a Lynx or any other worldly wild animal. Never something so gentle and holding positive meaning.

"Really?" Ash asked, amused. "How so?" 

Shorter flipped the front of the card towards him, his slender finger finding placement beside the angel's white robe. The angel has fluffy blonde hair, pale skin, and green eyes. It sat on a platform gracefully, the shoulder of his robe falling slightly exposing his collarbone some. The angel tugged at the attire to keep the oversized garment in place, staring off into the distance as its feathered wings seemed to be in motion on the very still drawing. 

"You guys look just alike!" Shorter explained. "The moment I got it, I thought: 'wow, this looks just like my friend, Ash!" 

 _My friend, Ash._ Ash's heart clenched in his own little warmth Christmas carols could never give a human being.

"You think so?" Ash studied the angel, trying to picture himself as the holy being made with care. 

"Yeah," Shorter hummed out. "Not only that I picture him acting just the way you do, too."

The blonde pulled away from the trance of the angel, moving his gaze towards the Chinese boy. "How do I act?"

Shorter lifted his left hand and put up his pointer finger. "You're quiet, caring, selfless, and super nice," his face held a light rosy blush.

"You think that's how I am?" Ash pressed further. He wasn't fishing for compliments, not ones like these. 

Shorter shook his head, a frown graced his lips. "I don't think that. I know that. What people say about you... I don't agree with it. Back in Chinatown lots of people know about you so it would seem crazy for me not know you, right? What they say... It's not cool. You shouldn't be characterised as some wildebeest incapable of feelings or emotions. You don't just wield around a gun and cause havoc for the hell of it. You're human to me. You're an angel to me." 

 Ash just stared at him. He watched Shorter's eyebrows furrow as he talked, his head tilt down to hide his shyness. It was quiet for a while between them, Ash just soaking up the words splashed onto him like a sponge. 

He is a human being. Right. He is. Sometimes that's hard to forget when you're made to be a killing machine with no emotions or mind of your own. Being viewed as an angel? That was an insult to the angel. He'd never be an angel. He was the devil's spawn. Figuratively and literally. But it felt nice to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, Shorter clueless yet aware all the same.

The bell rang, signalling for everyone to carry on with their schedules. Ash would be going to his classes now. He stood up, picking up the shoe box. It felt so damn heavy. 

"Hey," Ash's mouth spoke before he could think. Shorter lifted his head up from where it was held down in nervousness. "Could I have that?"

Shorter's eyes trialled the finger he was pointing to the Christmas card fidgeting in-between his hands. The boy stood from his chair instantly, holding out the card without much of a thought. "Sure! It's all yours."

Ash set the gift down on the table to grab the card, gripping it firmly like it held all his morals and ideologies before pressing it to his chest. "The shoes."

"Hm?" Shorter startled.

Ash nodded his head at the shoe box, his bangs falling into his eyes. "The shoes. They're yours. My gift to you. I hope they fit." 

Shorter took the box up and opened the lid, immediately closing it back up but Ash was already walking away. "Ash! I can't take these!"

"Merry Christmas, Shorter!" Ash called back, turning around to flash Shorter a toothy smile and a peace sign. He could see a small quirk on the boy's face from here.

"Merry Christmas, Ash!"

 Sure, Ash really wanted a new pair of shoes, but he figured that somehow the card was really what he wanted. Ash wasn't innocent, far from it. He wasn't naive either. With this card, however, he could pretend. He could pretend to a regular teenager with loving parents and no blood stains on his hands. He'll see the angel planted on the front of the card as himself, just off in another dimension where the world gave him a life he deserved. 

What he didn't have to pretend to have or want for Angel Ash was Shorter Wong. He had Shorter Wong. The very first person who saw what he could be.

 


End file.
